stangs-R-me

Hooked my scanner to it and it shows the 02 sensors OK for the first time since i got it running . It did kick into fail safe mode just for a minute and cleared but i think that was because all the sensors hadn't cleared yet ,it still shows the converters not clear but it will take a few miles driving before they do ,it runs great and it does chirp 3 when it shifts  haha.

It's fixed - my horn works again. Thanks to @det0326 for hooking me up with a seller of the part I needed. I may now be the world's foremost authority on 2-spoke horns. I took a bunch of pictures, I may post a thread on it while it's fresh in my mind in case anyone else ever cares about such a thing. 

Thanks. Tapped into the red/green wire for power and lights. Connected to the terminal on the MSD box.
Works great !

Fitting on Jims hood, Looks amazing!
 

I have been looking for a newer truck since my 2000 Ranger died. I have looked at a few Rangers & they were way overpriced beat up trucks, then this truck came up on my wife's phone for sale. It is a 2005 F-150 2WD Regular Cab, bright red, with med gray cloth interior. It has the 5.4L V-8, Auto Trans, PS, PB, A/C, PL, PW, PM, AM/FM single CD radio, side steps, spray on bed liner, hard shell tonneau cover, & only 80,500 miles. I am the 3rd owner & it has a clean Carfax report, & I got all the maintenance records.

 

Great news for all of you 1967-68 owners that want to run the shorter 20 GALLON 1969 tank instead of the taller 22-Gallon 1970 tank.

I now have confirmation and PICTURES showing that the '67-68 22-Gal Conversion Neck fits without modification with the 20 Gallon tank when using the Daniel Carpenter 4-3/4" long hose & clamps # C8ZA-9047 & C5ZZ-9040 (9047-3A & 9047-1AK from NPD). This particular hose is super pliable and has a fiber braid inside it. Hose could maybe be shortened an inch or so, but it was installed uncut/full length in the pics.

Pictures ...
 

ACP Lamps came from Kentucky Mustang yesterday.   They are BOTH Silver (or Clear) Zinc Plated so they at least match.   Main benefit to being Silver instead of Yellow/Gold Zinc is I did not need to paint the inner reflector/bezel silver as ACP was NOT doing that on the yellow/gold ones either.   The NOS Lamp I've got from the 80's is more silver than yellow/gold, so I'm fine with the color change ... better than my black painted originals for sure. 
The OEM 8-32 screws were tight going in on these (as they were on the yellow/gold one I got from NPD), so I chased the threads with an 8-32 tap.   Even made little red wire loops like the OEM harnesses had out of some solid 22GA wire I had laying around.   Smaller in OD vs. the OEM so 20 or 18GA wire would be better. 
Saga is finally over !!
Doug

ACP Lamps came from Kentucky Mustang yesterday.   They are BOTH Silver (or Clear) Zinc Plated so they at least match.   Main benefit to being Silver instead of Yellow/Gold Zinc is I did not need to paint the inner reflector/bezel silver as ACP was NOT doing that on the yellow/gold ones either.   The NOS Lamp I've got from the 80's is more silver than yellow/gold, so I'm fine with the color change ... better than my black painted originals for sure. 
The OEM 8-32 screws were tight going in on these (as they were on the yellow/gold one I got from NPD), so I chased the threads with an 8-32 tap.   Even made little red wire loops like the OEM harnesses had out of some solid 22GA wire I had laying around.   Smaller in OD vs. the OEM so 20 or 18GA wire would be better. 
Saga is finally over !!
Doug

i would say this will be the last post....
interior is finished.  i had to make my own carpet.  so that involved sectioning areas around the tunnel and sewing it back up.
i probably have around 250 miles on it as of now.  i'm blown away, but it's actually easier to drive than the mustang....i was certain it would have been the other way around....
video was the second startup.  was cold outside that day....
 

I did score my first body panel off ebay.  Passenger side fender.  No rust, but a bit of damage that we will work out.  Its in an accessible area, so hammer and dolly it is.  I drove to central Michigan to get this panel.  The guy had a plethora of old cars.  1968 Cougar with a 428.  1988 Mustang with a 500+ stroker big block.  1967 Falcon with a 572 stroker big block.  1969 Mach 1 Q-code 428 car with 4 speed, 1968 SBF drag car.  And to top all of that off... a 1967 Fairlane with a 427 SOHC engine.  Was a really cool visit!

Kill Switches and Protecting your Car
It seems that everyone has their own opinion or philosophy about protecting their car…and you know what they say about opinions, but here is mine. Some people only insure their car and don’t even lock it, insisting that an accomplished thief will steal it if they want it. To me, that says they have no personal investment in the car- no blood, sweat, or pride of ownership. Mine is part of the family, a very old friend, and it’s MY CAR, not theirs for the taking. So here are the steps I have taken.
I believe you must have a layered approach, with as many layers as you can apply. Slow the thieves down and make it as difficult as possible. In this case, I believe that paranoia can be your friend.
1.    Insurance: today's thieves could roll up with a car hauler and a GPS jammer. Unless you have your Mark 1000 Visual Acuity Devices trained on it (your eyeballs), your car will be gone. But most thieves aren’t that accomplished or prepared, and don’t need to be- it’s just too easy to steal a classic Mustang. So insure it and keep it in sight as much as possible when it is out of your garage.
2.    Where you take it: don’t take it to the mall, theatre, supermarket, or other long term parking place. They only need seconds. When on a road trip, one of our members will take his car to the local police department and ask them to lock it in their secured parking overnight. He claims he has never been turned away as long as he offered them a ride.
3.    Lock the hood: everything they need to steal the car is under the hood, so protect it. There is way too much mischief they can get into under there. I use a 76 Ford F350 truck hood latch. It has a cable going inside to a handle with a keyed lock. You also need a “helper spring” mounted to the hood. This pushes the hood up and away from the latch so the latch doesn’t re-engage as soon as you release the pull handle. Mid 70s Ford truck latches will bolt right into a 69-70 Mustang and the same vehicle also has the helper spring. All I had to modify was the secondary safety release arm so it was easier to access.
4.    Lock the doors: this is so obvious that I almost didn’t mention it. If you don’t give them an open invitation, they may move on. It’s just basic common sense.
5.    Alarm: a noise maker is good- I like them. Even if other people don’t pay attention, you will. They can have vibration, and glass sensors, door, hood and trunk switches (remember to lock the hood anyway), and they can even call you if they sense an alarm or set off a GPS tracker. It’s all good stuff and part of the layering process. Where they fall short is how they attempt to actually prevent the car from running, and that will require a technical discussion on KILL SWITCHES. On the other hand, a system like LoJack is good (and expensive), but it doesn’t try to stop the theft, it just shows the cops where it is once you notify them it has been taken.
6.    How cars are stolen: the method most often used is a jumper wire and a screwdriver. This is so ridiculously easy that you won’t believe it, and it literally only requires seconds. Here’s what they do:
(1)  Lift the hood (that’s why you have to lock it).
(2)  Put a jumper wire from the battery positive to the coil positive. This supplies power directly to your ignition system, and bypasses everything, including aftermarket alarms.
(3)  Use a screwdriver to short from the front solenoid terminal to the “S” terminal. This cranks the engine to start it, and they are gone.
Seeing is believing, so here is a link to an 8-1/2 minute video, where he shows how to jack a 60s era car. It’s not a Mustang, but it has the SAME features. If anything, a Mustang is easier to steal because the coil and solenoid are up front. If you pay attention around 4:15, he talks about Fords. He’s a little long winded, but I find him entertaining, and everything he says is unfortunately accurate. As you’ll see, it takes him about 58 seconds to open the locked door, then the hood, start the engine and close the hood- all while explaining it and not rushing the process. PLEASE WATCH THIS
Below is a schematic (not a wire diagram) that shows why this is so simple and how it works. This is the ignition system for a classic Mustang:

The jumper wire is #2, which connects the battery directly to the coil and bypasses everything else (ignition switch, alarm, whatever). The screwdriver is #3, which connects the battery to the solenoid “S” or coil terminal. This turns the solenoid on and the engine cranks for as long as the screwdriver is there. And away they go.
7.    KILL SWITCHES: this is a kill switch used on a car with points. It is just a simple on-off toggle switch with one side connected to the chassis and the other side connected to the wire going between the coil and the points.

Don’t let this description throw you – this is just how the physical laws in our little corner of the universe work: The points have to open and close to make the magnetic field of the coil build and collapse to make a high voltage spark. With the kill switch closed the coil will stay on, but the field can’t collapse, so there is no transformer action in this DC circuit, so there is NO spark.
 8.    Kill Switches for other ignition systems: here are a few other popular ignition systems and how to disable them.
 This would work for a Pertronix 1 as well. When I showed the example in #6 above to Pertronix, they were sure it would disable the car, but thought it may also damage the Pertronix module. They offered this solution instead:

ANOTHER...

9.    Fuel kill switches: there’s no magic here, just a switch to open the circuit to a pump or fuel solenoid.

10. The Problem with Kill Switches is simple- where to hide the switch? If it could be hidden in a place where it’s not seen or found, but can still be activated, then that would make it very difficult to defeat. That can be done using a magnetic reed switch. The reed can be hidden behind the plastic of the dash or console, or “A” pillar trims, or behind any plastic. Then when you pass a magnet over it (within about an inch) it will allow the car to start. In this simple circuit, the kill switch is turned on as soon as the ignition key is turned off. So you can’t forget to set the kill switch (its automatic), you just have to use the magnet to turn the kill switch off, so you can start the car. So, turn the key to ON, pass the magnet near the reed switch and the LED will turn ON, announcing the kill switch is OFF, then turn the key to start. Easy peasy. For maintenance by some shop, insert a fuse (safer than using a switch) and the kill switch is bypassed.

Side note...you may think this is a bit too complicated and unnecessary, but after reading all of the above, one guy told me that he uses RFID (radio frequency identification) to "unlock" his limit switch. I think that's really cool, but WOW! That's a whole lot more complicated than a reed switch, a magnet and a relay.
11.  Transmission lock: If you have a 70, I understand this was done from the factory. If the back wheels can’t roll, it makes the process of towing more difficult. I have a 69 with an automatic and of course it has a floor shifter (since that’s all they ever came with). Back in the day, and long before digital pictures, I came up with a method to lock the shift linkage with a spring loaded pin. The pin is removed from the linkage by a solenoid, and it is operated by a switch that is controlled by the shift button on the T-handle. If the kill switch is on, the power to the solenoid is cut and you can’t take it out of park. I would love to show it to you, but I still don’t have any pictures. I came up with this using the simple home tools I had at the time, so think about it and surprise us with your version. You may be able to provide pictures before I tear mine apart ;)
12.  Electronic handbrakes: sometimes called electronic parking brakes – work on the same basis but use electric motors to achieve the locking effect. Press or pull the button and motors on the rear brakes press the pads onto the discs. You can often hear a reassuring whirring noise as the motors do their work.

I sanded / wire-wheeled & painted my originals back in the early 80's and they really could be replaced.   
From the pictures online, the new repro's made by ACP looked pretty close to original so I bought a pair from NPD.   Well, they ended up shipping me a LH made by ACP and a RH made by Muscle Car GT, and the differences are obvious.   Contacted them, and they checked the rest of their inventory and they found all to be ACP, however the LH ones are Gold Zinc and all the RH's are Silver Zinc.   So they gave me a label to ship them back.   
Ordered a pair of Scott Drake from Summit as the picture on Summit's & S-D's sites is the ACP version but what they shipped were the cheaper looking Muscle Car GT.
Main issues with the Muscle Car GT version:   
M4x0.7 threaded inserts instead of the correct 8-32 inserts that the ACP has
OEM style Wire Boot is replaced by a molded rubber bushing at the back of the lamp socket
The stampings of the MCG are also quite different from OEM where the ACP is very close to the OEM stampings
Wire colors are not correct for either version (no winner here) 
Ground connection is also different from OEM on both: MCG is external like OEM but not correct and the ACP ground goes in the boot with the two other wires.
MCG is painted SILVER inside like OEM ... ACP bare Gold Zinc so needs silver paint
MCG has a GRAY gasket (lighter color than OEM) ... ACP has a WHITE gasket that needs to be changed
Both Lens's are generic w/o Ford Logo and neither have the correct style S.S. screws and both come with incorrect CLEAR bulbs
Correct Gaskets, Lens's, Screws, & Bulbs are available so no big deal there
The plating on my original and the N.O.S. one are a very close match ... you can tell by the pics that the Repro's are more gold/yellow.
     
I'm now waiting to hear back from a vendor that has 10 each of the "Mr. Mustang" version in stock (which the picture also matches the ACP), to see what the inventory really is.
I've got a N.O.S. LH one my brother bought back in the 80's it is super special because it has a 2-wire '70 style plug on it instead of the correct '69 3-wire plug (we also have a N.O.S. '70 RH lamp and the bumper bracket is longer and offsets the lamp more than the '69, with a correct 2-wire '70 plug).
I took comparison pics ...
From Left to Right ... NOS ... OEM ... ACP ... MCG
    

Update; The electrician is all done wiring up the garage. Now it is on to insulation & wall covering.


 

Got the assembly table. Setting up the floor pan assembly according to this:
 
image upload without registration
 
I bought a spot welder from harbor freight on sale this weekend too. I figure that it will save me a lot of time by not drilling out one side or the other of any particular panel to weld them together. Will also save time with grinding.... At least that's what I'm hoping.
 

 
The assembly table is perfectly level at all 4 corners. So excited to get this going. Gotta get a GoPro so I can put the build on youtube.

Just got confirmation from Rick at NPD on VMF ... both the 14405-5CA 14405-CB Alloy Metal Harnesses are COMPLETE with the taillight sockets.
Link to the thread I posted over there:
https://www.vintage-mustang.com/threads/npd-1969-mustang-taillight-wiring-harness.1200032/#post-10622786
Picture of a kit from stock showing the sockets & boots in place just like OEM.
 
Doug
 

I've been thinking I need to update my 80's vintage stock replacement front suspension too (creaks a lot) and Open Tracker has been on my radar ... need to open the wallet wider to go down the rabbit hole further !!
Doug

I've been thinking I need to update my 80's vintage stock replacement front suspension too (creaks a lot) and Open Tracker has been on my radar ... need to open the wallet wider to go down the rabbit hole further !!
Doug

I need to break down and yank my manual steering box out and send to Chock ... and buy a ROLLER IDLER ARM ... thanks for that tip Mike !!
The box in the car now is a 16:1 ratio that I stole from a PS '69 Cougar back in the 80's, so it has only had to "work" manual steering for 30-40k miles (original box was worn out after the 1st 120k miles so it got tossed).   But the PS box being 53 years old now, it really should be gone through.
Doug   

I am 64 years old & have manual steering in my 69 Coupe with a roller idler arm & it steers like it had PS.

We did a big remodel in 2001 and knocked down an old 2 car "detached" and put up a 24x48 x 10' high "attached" garage with a 10x10 mudroom between ... and YES within 10 years I wish I had made it BIGGER.   The '69 hibernates sideways in the back of the garage so I can fit 4 DD's up front for winter months.    
Deeper would allow 3 cars deep nose-to-tail and Wider would give a little more breathing room plus would have allowed an 18FT. door.
Our house is not all that big (about the same 24x48 footprint as the garage), so the garage also serves as our great room for year-round parties.
Sorry, did not mean to hijack, but thought I'd share  !!
 
Mike does have the carport that one DD could park in, so that helps.
Doug

Brakes?? We don't need no stinking Brakes!

Very nice ... glad to see you finally have decent space to store / work on your Mustang and other projects.
Doug

Maybe this resurrected thread is an omen for me to install mine. 

Sorry to hear about the accident and the Hardtop being totaled, but sure is a blessing you survived to be able to start again with a Sportsroof.
Very nice work and great color choice.
Oh, and welcome to the forum !!
Doug

I am now into it 2700. In just materials but ohhh crap is it purdy !